Aquarium Drunkard

Largely made up of old blues and folk chestnuts, this week's playlist is designed for the dog days of August humidity. Bukka White, Obray Ramsey, Big Bill Broonzy, Elder Charles Back, Slim Harpo, Odetta and Lightnin Hopkins all make an appearance. Press play, pour a glass of ice tea, or something stronger if it suits, and beat the heat.

Townes Van Zandt has had many acolytes over the past 40 years, but it's Lyle Lovett who grabbed, and held, my attention. A lover, and performer, or various genres - from country, jazz, blues and Tejano - to standards from the American Songbook, Lovett, to the causal observer, may not immediately connect the Van Zandt dots. But they are there, and none more so than on Lovett's 1998 double record, Step Inside This House, his tribute to fellow Texan songwriters, prominently featuring the music of Townes.

This week's playlist pulls from the first seven Lovett albums, beginning with 1986's self-titled and closing out with the aforementioned Step Inside This House, from 1998. A mighty twelve year stretch. Also included is Lovett's take on the standard "Blue Skies", culled from his Smile collection, which gathers cuts from his various soundtrack work.

Through the marvel that is social media, I noticed that a bunch of Athens, GA musicians are putting together a tribute show next month centered around Whiskeytown's second LP, 1997's "Strangers Almanac". This, naturally, led to my pulling out the record and later putting together this week's playlist - twenty tracks spanning Whiskeytown's three (official) full-length releases, including bits from both the "Faithless Street" and "Strangers" reissues. And while all three records have aged exceptionally well, I have to wonder what a post-"Pneumonia" Whiskeytown record would have sounded like had the band stayed together.

Ryan Adams went on to immediately release his solo debut, the lauded "Heartbreaker", and would later revisit the more Whiskeytown-leaning aesthetic of his songwriting via "Jacksonville City Lights". And hey, everyone seems to be getting on the Reunion bus these days, so who knows...

"Townes was a holy mess, his life a mix of the sublime and the horrific. By the time he died of a heart attack at 52 on New Year’s Day, 1997, the Fort Worth native had written a large batch of enduring songs and become the subject of colorful tales—many of them even true." (source)

While I put this set together specifically for evening listening, the music of Townes knows no boundaries. The playlist purloins its title from an absolutely crucial piece on Van Zandt, published by Texas Monthly in 1998, entitled The Great, Late Townes Van Zandt (itself a play on the VZ lp, The Late, Great Townes Van Zandt).

Introducing the bouillabaisse of sound that is Maison Dufrene – a vintage serving of southern soul, r&b, country, blues, gospel and beyond.The first of an ongoing collaboration with Louisiana record collector, dj and musicologist, Paul Dufrene.

Introducing the bouillabaisse of sound that is Maison Dufrene – a vintage serving of southern soul, r&b, country, blues, gospel and beyond.The first of an ongoing collaboration with Louisiana record collector, dj and musicologist, Paul Dufrene.

The circus came to town Friday night…or in this case, Guided By Voices gigged at the Fonda in Hollywood. The club was, indeed, open. Robert Pollard anecdotes and leg kicks abound, as the band ripped through 25+ years of would-be hits. There was a period - a long period, actually - in which I made a rather valiant effort to keep up with both GBV's output and Pollard's solo career. Though at 4+ releases a year (minimum), I lost that battle. No matter, it all translates live, whether new or vintage.

This week's playlist is an attempt to compile some favorites with with an eye toward the uninitiated. Welcome, Hot Freaks. Climb aboard.

LA Burnout is made up of the sounds floating around Los Angeles in the late ’60s and ’70s; a faded aural imprint of the canyons, beaches, wildfires, neighborhoods, late-nights and early mornings of a bygone L.A. Play this mix around dusk while driving through Topanga with the windows rolled down — it’s the next best thing to time travel.

L.A. Burnout is made up of the sounds floating around Los Angeles in the late ’60s and ’70s; a faded aural imprint of the canyons, beaches, wildfires, neighborhoods, late-nights and early mornings of a bygone L.A. Play this mix around dusk while driving through Topanga with the windows rolled down — it’s the next best thing to time travel.